In the field of molecular biology, enterotoxin type B, also known as Staphylococcal enterotoxin B, is an enterotoxin produced by the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. It is a common cause of food poisoning, with severe diarrhea, nausea and intestinal cramping often starting within a few hours of ingestion.

What does staphylococcal enterotoxin do?

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B is one of the most potent bacterial superantigens that exerts profound toxic effects upon the immune system, leading to stimulation of cytokine release and inflammation. It is associated with food poisoning, nonmenstrual toxic shock, atopic dermatitis, asthma, and nasal polyps in humans.

What is Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin?

The S. aureus enterotoxins (SEs) are potent gastrointestinal exotoxins synthesized by S. aureus throughout the logarithmic phase of growth or during the transition from the exponential to the stationary phase [16,17,18,19,20].